Doctors discuss treatment methods for Covid-19 patients. As many as 376 Covid-19 patients are in critical and extremely critical conditions - PHOTO: DTO

HCMC – As of July 7, 270 Covid-19 patients were reported to be in critical condition and 106 others in extremely critical condition, making up 3.3% and 1.3% of the total Covid-19 cases, according to the treatment subcommittee under the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control.

Nine patients are at risk of death, news site VnExpress reported.

As of this morning, the country’s Covid-19 deaths reached 105, including 70 in the current outbreak, double that of the figure in the third Covid-19 wave.

In the first two Covid-19 waves, the country had no Covid-19 deaths.

At a meeting on July 7, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long asked localities to establish intensive care units to treat critical Covid-19 patients, with one in Dong Nai and one in Can Tho to be set up first.

Long added that the Delta coronavirus variant might raise the death rate, so cities and provinces must focus on the treatment of critical patients.

The ministry is drawing up plans for the worst scenarios and reviewing equipment, ventilators, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines, oxygen, medicines and protective suits.

Minister Long said the number of new Covid-19 cases might surge in the coming days. Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Dong Thap, Long An and Tien Giang have also become pandemic hotspots.

He asked these localities to prepare test kits and increase their testing capacities. The Ministry of Health will create favorable conditions for the import of test kits and improve the local test kit production.

In HCMC, Long asked the city to test residents in areas under lockdown every three days and those in areas at a high risk of infection every seven days.